mark@unicorn.com wrote:
> Michael S. Lorrey [retroman@together.net] wrote:
> >Yes. Please. However, why can't mail servers that the recipient belongs to
> >merely check the validity of the emails header addresses and origins of
> >every message, bouncing the ones that look specious?
>
> Numerous sites do this, and it's annoying as hell because they bounce a huge
> number of perfectly legitimate messages... while letting most spam straight
> through. Many virtual domains (e.g. unicorn.com) fail their overzealous
> tests, and there are various people out there who can't subscribe to the
> mailing lists I run because their ISPs bounce my mail.
>
> But even if it could work, there are numerous problems:
>
> 1. It might be spam anyway, why do you think that making spammers put a
> verified email address on their message will stop them?
Its easier for me to track down who their provider is and demand that their service get cancelled and that they be indentified to me so that I can bill them for the spam. If their provider refuses, then I can just refuse all traffic from that providers routers.
> 2. It might be spam sent through a remailer.
remailers that support spam will get their services cut by their own providers, or will get embargoed by ISP's that won't tolerate such crap.
>
> 3. It might be spam sent from a throwaway dialup account.
If its from a throwaway, then there is a dialup ISP that I can pester for ID info on the spammers, and likewise embargo them if they don't cooperate.
> 4. It might be spam sent with a perfectly legitimate but fake email
> address.
What is legitimate but fake? Oh, you mean impersonated? Like how I have the address of my dialup on the From here, but my reply to is my mike@lorrey.com address. Someone might put my email address in their header. Gotcha. If the mail didn't come from there, then it really should get bounced because of a conflict between the header info and the routing info.
There needs to be some capability to track it, if not then we need to create a hunting season on spammers to keep the population in check...
Mike Lorrey